Purveyors of ‘ex-gay’ therapy, Exodus International says it’s shutting down
Holder, Kerry honor LGBT staffers at pride events at Justice, State departments
A note to the parents seeking to devastate their 15 year-old daughter and her 18 year-old girlfriend
Marriage equality advocates hope to repeal Florida’s ban on gay marriage
Del. gender identity protections bill clears final legislative vote
Four sentenced to prison in kidnapping, attack on gay man in Ky.
ACLU sues Ind. motor vehicles bureau over gay youth group license plates
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A Christian legal group on Monday sent a memorandum to marriage officials in the three states where gay marriage was legalized in last week’s elections, advising them they “do not have to violate their faith or conscience by personally issuing licenses to applicants who are of the same sex.”
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF, formerly Alliance Defense Fund) a American conservative Christian nonprofit organization, sent the advisory to municipal clerks and other officials responsible for issuing marriage licenses in Maine, Maryland and Washington.
The memos stated:
[...] In light of the three states’ “recent redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples,” some clerks and auditors “might believe that they face a serious dilemma: either resign their positions or violate their sincerely held religious beliefs by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.”
However, those officials “can readily resolve this potential religious conflict” by acting on the authority they have to appoint their responsibilities to deputies or assistants.
“No American should be forced to give up a constitutionally protected freedom, nor should any American be forced to give up his or her job to maintain that freedom,” said Austin R. Nimocks, who serves as senior legal counsel to ADF in its Washington, D.C. office.
“Religious freedom is paramount to every American, including those issuing marriage licenses. They can perform their job without violating their conscience,” he said.
Nimocks added that the people and the governments should respect the faith and conscience of the clerks and that by doing so should provide no impediment to carrying out the law as the exclusions provided the basis for that respect.
One Washington D.C. based legal analyst told LGBTQ Nation Monday that a county clerk issuing a marriage license is only required to ensure that the couple meetings the legal requirements of that state for marriage, such as residency, age, etc.:
“If the couple agrees to be married and otherwise meets the legal requirements, by issuing the license, the clerk is merely certifying that the couple meets the legal requirements; the clerk is not required to perform or officiate the wedding (which is always separate from issuing and recording the license), nor otherwise approve or endorse.
“By telling clerks not to issue license, the ADF is recommending insubordination over something that is not even within the clerk’s prescribed legal duties nor responsibility.”
“In no case is the clerk required or even allowed to make a moral determination of suitability or appropriateness of any specific couple,” said the analyst, who works in the Justice Department’s civil rights division.
Filed under: Around the Nation
Eldest of ‘19 Kids and Counting’ joins anti-gay hate group FRC
Rubio: ‘I’m done’ with immigration bill if gay couples are included
Marco Rubio: No ‘special’ rights for gay Americans — but I’m not ‘a bigot’
Brazil lawmakers OK bill to allow treatment of homosexuality as a disorder
Christian college expels lesbian, wants her to repay grant money
Mugabe vows to strengthen penalties against gays: ‘They should rot in jail’
Lesbian may be forced to testify against spouse in Ky. murder case
Man pleads not guilty in New York City hate crime shooting
Russia to ban adoption by same-sex couples
E.W. Jackson: Using my past anti-gay statements against me is ‘persecution’
Tucson becomes second Arizona city to allow same-sex civil unions
At LGBT Pride reception, Obama urges ban on workplace bias against gays
‘M’ or ‘F’? Outdated IDs worry transgender people
christians need to stop being so mean everyone’s different n it’s ok
its not up to christains its up to the government officials hahaah
This is so silly, so where do we draw the line? Soon drive-thru dont have to sell to gay people if they dont want, for whatever reason.. while we are out lets go ahead and bring back special drinking fountains for people we consider second class citizens. They are there to do a job, if their personal beliefs interfere with providing a service find a different job!
GRRRR. If you do not wish to uphold the licensing laws of your state, then you should work in their licensing office.
So a town/city clerk can decide which laws to obey and I have to obey all of them? Why do the town/city clerks get special rights that I don’t have?
that looks like that would get into the area of separation of church and state.
Well, it’s not like all Christians even have this problem. :-{D}
If you are Christian and your beliefs are the problem then you might need to find a new job…Like in your church! You have to be able to perform the duties of a state job if you intend to keep it!
Really? I mean really! Good grief!
don’t worry, there are plenty of churches that would offer marriage, since we actually don’t need to get a license from the church, that comes from states, who the fuck cares.
RME. Christian clerks? Okay…I can see about not marrying in a church, but any kind of government is supposed to be seperate from church, so their argument if automatically invalid.
The Law is the law and you cannot select which parts of it you will enforce. When gay marriage is legal… and it soon will be.. clerks can either follow the law or seek another line of employment…. can we allow the police to enforce only the parts of the law they approve of?
They are paid to do a job, period. If they don’t want to perform job tasks required in a secular environment, there are enough people looking for jobs who would be happy to do the job for them.
what?? christians judgeing gays? what?? lol may they find the holy spirit instead of thier flesh. amen
Yeah my gay tax dollars don’t need to pay their public salaries either.
Well, if they can’t do their job, maybe they can work elsewhere. I’d love a new job and I won’t tell two people who are in love that they can’t have a marriage license.
the fuck they can’t
I also find it funny where Christians choose their battles when it comes to their beliefs. It seems convenient to just select what to discriminate against when they want to impose prejudice. A perfect example is how Christians who join the military have no problem putting all of the sins they commit in the name of the country aside but lets not give marriage licenses to gay citizens, because clearly that is the most dangerous thing they have to live with.
It’s amazing to me the depths of Christian hatred!
That’s your job. It’s not your father’s country. Do what you are supposed to do or just resign you bunch of mean, selfish, arrogant and anti-gay losers. Love has won in the end. Losers like you won’t prosper in life.
Then they should quit their jobs, because their paid to do a job, & if they don’t wanna do it, then they need to find the door. We pay taxes that pays their paycheck, & if they refuse to do their jobs, then their wasting our money!!!!
I may be misreading the article, but lets keep in mind, this is an independent group not the clerks that are making these claims. Lets give the clerks a benefit of the doubt.
They can’t force them not to be douchebags, either.
If they won’t do the job they were hired to do, they can get out :l
Are u f*cking kidding me?!
What stupidity is this!?
Ah, so the law is the law unless you’re Christian. Good news, evangelicals! You can go bat-shit crazy, and scam people, torture people, and kill people now! Oh wait, you already do.
Gays can’t force christian clerks to issue same sex marriage licenses? Oh, yes we can.
so i can get a job there and then refuse licenses the old men and young chics? cuz that makes me sick.
Practice and preach your Christian hate in the privacy of your own home. Some people are just sad and pathetic. Do your job like you were hired to do. Leave your religion at home or in your church.
This is just stupid.
Wow… These bibull thumping assholes will go to any extreme to make sure we don’t have equal rights. I hope these clerks can be fired if they attempt this…
Talk about retarded and insane. By that logic I can walk into any Christian church and shoot half the people in there because I chose to ignore the law too..
They just don’t give up. Sour grapes.
Oh you will :) we’re bi-winning
County Clerks are not to make judgments about who is or is not suitable to be married. That is not their job. They need to follow the law, and if they can not perform their job, they need to resign, or pay the consequences. What is next?
Time to get a new job then
im bisexual so imma trick them into giving it to me then marry who ever the fuck i wont yea suck my dick homophobs
I’m a christian and I’m gay. so if I’m a christian clerk do i refuse to give a marriage to a gay? hmmm….hahahahaHAAAAA!!! i love it!
Umm… Last I checked, Rights trump privileges. Marriage equality is a Right, whilst having a job as a county clerk is a privilege. This is like a vegan grocery clerk refusing to sell eggs.
me and my lez friends wanna join you guys..we want to meet lez,bi’s who’s 28 yrs old and up..shoot me a text msg @ 09234529667 BBM pin 2A480E4F much thanks
I agree with Christopher Cost up there. ^ I’m bi and as much as I disagree with opinionated Christians about practically everything, some of them aren’t so bad. Most of the clerks who are christian probably won’t try to shove anything down your throat. They will probably just do their jobs. Christians like to lump all of us together when we are each individuals, and the same thing applies to them. Yes, there are the many that give the religion a bad name, but we should take each person we meet as they are, and judge the situation then. Everyone need to learn to accept each other’s differences. Peace must start from someone and they’re too damn stubborn.
If they don’t want to officiate same sex marriage or any other kind of marriage, they should have found another job.
Then they shouldn’t have that job.
They tried this bullshit in New York and FAILED!
And they cant force away our rights to marry
Besides there are plenty of true Christian clerks out there that are happy to marry us….so the aholes that descrimanate aint no sweat.
I hate to break this to them, but there is separation of church and state in government operations. These clerks work for the government, not their churches. If they refuse to do the job they’re paid to do, they risk being terminated for refusing to do their job. If they have a problem with issuing marriage licenses, I’d suggest they start looking for other work now.
refuse to do the job = fired !
Insubbordination is grounds for termination and refusing to do your job, based on someones personal preference is discrimination. lawsuit please!!!
Separation of church and state should take care of this bullshit! My wife and I were treated with respect in East Rochester NY. I could care less what religion the clerk is just do you job!
I think Christians would just be asked to issue the license not marry a person of the same sex.
They’re clutching at strings.
So does this mean that if the clerk is gay they shouldn’t be forced to issue a license to a str8 scpl or does this reek of a dbl standard?
Come on, we only need 1200 people to donate $1 each and these guys will be able to put out a CD to help Ben get his top surgery. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1809941581/ben-wallace-real-boy-vol-1-debut-album
we should put a marriage ban vote on the ballot against straight people – see how they like their rights voted on
So does that mean the wiccan girl who works at the bookstore doesn’t have to sell any bibles? Does that mean the Sikh woman who works at the starbucks down the street never has to make coffee for anyone who doesn’t believe in her religion? I’m getting really really sick of Christians thinking that “Freedom of Religion” means “Freedom to run this country according to the Christian bible, and then shoot up every other religious or secular establishment around.” I’m a Christian and some days I’m almost ashamed to say that, not because of God, but because of his followers. If you want to go to your government job and claim that you can’t issue a piece of fucking paper to someone because of your beliefs, then you clearly have the wrong idea about what you should be believing in.
Oh yes we can~
ok then we’ll go to a justice of the peace or better yet get married on a cruise so the honey moon is right after the wedding. :D
then Christians can’t work as clerks anymore